Aquatic center group OKs consultant

A 21-member ad hoc committee will rely on the services of a consultant to develop plans for an indoor aquatic center in Cape Girardeau.

Committee chairman and Cape Girardeau school board president Jeff Glenn said Counsilman-Hunsaker, an aquatics design and consulting firm based in St. Louis, will aid the planning effort.

The committee met for the first time Wednesday at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce office.

A contract has yet to be signed with the firm.

Glenn said after the meeting he doesn't know if the city or the school district will pay for the consulting services or if the two entities will split the cost. Glenn said he doesn't know how much the consulting work will cost.

The committee is the second advisory group to tackle the aquatic project.

A six-member committee of Cape Girardeau city and school district representatives spent months last year considering needs for an indoor aquatic center. The group, on a divided vote, recommended a new aquatic center be located next to Jefferson Elementary School.

The City Council and the school board approved the recommendation. The two elected boards also will have the final say on the project after the newer committee finishes its work, Glenn said.

Counsilman-Hunsaker sought to advise the earlier committee last year, but was not chosen.

The city last fall hired a Colorado-based consulting firm to perform a feasibility study parks and recreation director Julia Jones estimated would cost between $45,000 and $55,000.

Mayor Bob Fox told the new committee it could benefit from having the advice of a different consultant than the one chosen by the earlier advisory board.

"I think it is a good idea to get different views," Fox said.

Committee member Clay Hahs, who served on the original committee and now serves on the new board, said Counsilman-Hunsaker has great expertise in designing aquatic centers.

Former Mayor Jay Knudtson, a committee member, said the group needs to adhere to a tight time frame. "We don't have time to fool around," he said.

"We have been through this before. We have to rock 'n roll," Knudtson said.

He said the committee needs to make final recommendations to the council and school board by October.

Several committee members expressed support for constructing a 50-meter, competition pool.

Glenn, who described himself as a "swim dad," said there is a need for a 50-meter pool to accommodate swim teams' practices and to allow for hosting long-course swim meets by swim clubs.

"That's a real need. It's not a luxury," he said.

But he added the committee will have to look at what it would cost to construct and operate such a facility.

The city and the school district have committed $10 million toward construction of the aquatic center to replace the aging, Central Municipal pool.

But Fox told the committee $10 million "won't buy" an aquatic center with a 50-meter, competition pool.

He estimated the cost could be around $15 to $18 million.

Knudtson and former Mayor Harry Rediger are seeking private investment to bridge the gap. So far, they have secured a $1.5 million, matching-fund pledge.

But even that is not enough. Knudtson said he and Rediger are seeking seven-figure donations.

Rediger said "we have to sell more than a pool" in trying to secure such donations.

Both he and Knudtson said the aquatic center could help revitalize Cape Girardeau's south-side neighborhood.

Committee members plan to review wants and needs for the project at their next meeting, which is scheduled for July 17.

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